United Way of Ne Minnesota

Stabilizing families and individuals - uwnemn prioritizes maintaining the most essential resources for the safety and security of our community members. We aim for needs to be met promptly and with compassion in crisis, with thoughtful consideration given to help people become self-sufficient once stabilized. In-house programs to address this focus area include "buddy backpacks", a supplemental hunger-relief program to provide weekend meal kits for children at all schools in our service area throughout the school year; "meet up and chow down", a free summer lunch program for children ages 1-18 at twelve different sites throughout our service area; "comforts of home" which provides household goods to individuals and families who have experienced a fire, or are transitioning into stable/permanent housing, and "United for veterans" has a crisis fund to stabilize the lives of veterans in need, provides holiday meal baskets to homebound and in-need veterans and their families, hosts veterans connections events and retreats to promote comradery, social connectedness and healing for veterans.uwnemn currently funds 14 agency partners which strive to stabilize people in crisis through emergency food and housing services. Funded partners work to reduce hunger and to increase access to food, promote stable living environments, and work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault and work to reduce instances of these abuses in our service area. Uwnemn also provides support to all local food shelves in our region.these programs and agencies serve communities in northern st. louis county, koochiching county and parts of itasca county.

Empowering healthy lives -uwnemn prioritizes eliminating barriers for all people in our service area to live healthy lives as long as possible. We know ensuring our region has access to comprehensive care, including increasing social connectedness for our most vulnerable citizens, will lead to a stronger overall community.through this focus area, uwnemn's in-house and in-school dental program "smiles United" provides underinsured or uninsured children with teeth cleanings, fluoride treatments, sealants, x-rays, and as-needed restorative care to children in local schools and at our office during the summer. The program recently expanded to serve patients of all ages our the uwnemn office. In addition, uwnemn's "United for veterans", program provides a variety of programming focusing on our local veterans including but not limited to, transitional housing, holiday food baskets and veteran retreats focused on the health and wellbeing of local veterans.additionally, the organization funds seven agencies in our service area that support safe, healthy independent lives for these individuals in their region; support individuals and families facing cancer or life-limiting illness; increase programming to support advocacy, safe and independent living and the well-being of our local seniors; and enhance veterans' services in their service territory.these programs and agencies serve communities in northern st. louis county, koochiching county and parts of itasca county that provide these services.

Helping children succeed - uwnemn prioritizes a holistic, multi-generational approach to giving local children the best chance for successful futures. We recognize that education is a powerful tool in breaking the cycle of poverty and that building resiliency is critical to improved health, development, and educational outcomes. Our in-house programs "imagination library" provides free monthly books to children from birth to age 5 in our service territory, and "bright beginnings" works to increase child care availability in our region which is experiencing a severe shortage of childcare and to increase the quality and education options for children in local child care settings. Our newest program "lunch buddies" pairs mentors with a local child who is in need of an additional positive adult role model in their lives. Mentors and mentees meet once weekly during the child's lunch and recess. In addition, we invest in programs that improve academics, and encourage youth development that are intervention-based, addressing issues early. Through quality child care, early childhood education, tutoring, mentoring, and more, uwnemn helps our children reach their full potential and prepares them for bright, promising futures. We currently fund eight agency partners who focus on results during critical stages of a child's development by: improving academics, encouraging youth development, and addressing issues early. This strategy will give children the best chance for successful futures. In addition, uwnemn supports organizations that focus on youth mental health and youth chemical dependency. These programs and agencies serve communities in northern st. louis county, koochiching county and parts of itasca county that provide these services.